United Arab Emirates
Digital agency services for firms in ADGM
Abu Dhabi’s international financial centre, applying English common law directly, with its own data protection regime, a pioneering virtual asset framework and the Hub71 start-up community.
Abu Dhabi Global Market is an international financial centre with its own legal system. Unusually, it applies English common law directly, has its own courts, its own financial regulator and its own data protection regulations, and sits on Al Maryah Island in the capital, with an expanded jurisdiction reaching Al Reem Island.
For a digital supplier, the brief follows from that. Asset managers, sovereign-linked investors, fintechs and virtual asset firms licensed in ADGM operate under rules distinct from onshore Abu Dhabi and from Dubai’s financial centre, and systems, marketing and contracts need to be designed for those rules specifically.
ADGM at a glance
| Location | Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi — national rules are covered on the UAE page |
| Legal system | Applies English common law directly, with its own courts |
| Financial regulator | Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) |
| Data protection | ADGM Data Protection Regulations 2021 |
| Data regulator | ADGM Office of Data Protection |
| Virtual assets | An established FSRA regulatory framework for virtual asset activities |
| Start-up community | Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s technology ecosystem |
| Working week | Monday to Friday; UTC+4 |
The local economy
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority supervises financial services in ADGM and was an early mover in regulating virtual assets, which has drawn digital asset businesses alongside traditional asset managers, banks and insurers.
The ADGM Data Protection Regulations, overseen by the centre’s Office of Data Protection, follow international standards and apply to entities registered there, shaping how client data, marketing lists and analytics must be handled.
Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s technology start-up community, is based in ADGM, connecting early-stage companies with the capital’s investors and institutions. It gives the centre a start-up energy alongside its institutional core.
ADGM in United Arab Emirates
Where the businesses are
ADGM’s jurisdiction covers two neighbouring islands, with the financial core on Al Maryah and expansion on Al Reem.
- Al Maryah Island
- The financial core, home to ADGM’s towers, regulators, courts and major firms.
- ADGM Square
- The cluster of towers housing banks, asset managers and professional firms.
- Hub71
- Start-ups, investors and programmes within the ADGM community.
- Al Reem Island
- An expanded jurisdiction with residential towers and growing commercial space.
- ADGM Courts
- Common-law courts serving the centre and parties that choose them.
- The Galleria
- Retail, dining and meeting places for the working population.
- Hotels and serviced offices
- Business travel and flexible workspace for new entrants.
- Connections to the Corniche
- Bridges linking the islands to Abu Dhabi’s older business districts.
Clusters that buy this work
- Asset management
- Fund managers and advisers serving sovereign, institutional and private capital.
- Virtual assets
- Exchanges, custodians and service providers under the FSRA framework.
- Banking and insurance
- International and regional firms operating under FSRA supervision.
- Fintech start-ups
- Companies in the Hub71 community building payments, wealth and infrastructure products.
- Family offices
- Private wealth structures with confidential reporting needs.
- Legal and advisory
- Law firms and consultants serving regulated clients.
- Sustainable finance
- Firms and initiatives focused on climate and sustainable investment.
- Technology and data
- Providers of cloud, data and cyber services to regulated firms.
What working here is actually like
| Factor | What it means in ADGM |
|---|---|
| Separate data protection regime | ADGM entities follow the ADGM Data Protection Regulations rather than federal law, and systems should be designed for them. |
| FSRA promotion rules | Financial promotions are regulated, shaping how websites, campaigns and investor communications may present products. |
| Virtual asset scrutiny | Digital asset firms face specific regulatory expectations on disclosures, onboarding and security. |
| Institutional buyers | Many clients serve sovereign and institutional capital and expect rigorous procurement and documentation. |
| Start-up pace | Hub71 companies move quickly and need lean, phased work that fits funding milestones. |
| English common law | Contracts and disputes can reference English common law as applied in ADGM, which legal teams expect suppliers to understand. |
Typical projects in ADGM
Shapes of work we are asked for repeatedly here. These are project types rather than case studies — where we publish a client outcome it will be named, dated and with the client's permission.
- ADGM data protection design
- Records of processing, notices and data flows built for the ADGM regulations.
- FSRA-aware digital marketing
- Websites and campaigns designed within financial promotion rules from the start.
- Virtual asset onboarding flows
- Customer onboarding, disclosures and verification journeys for digital asset firms.
- Start-up launch packages
- Phased websites, analytics and CRM for Hub71 companies aligned with funding stages.
- Institutional investor portals
- Secure reporting, document rooms and communication for fund managers.
- Security and continuity documentation
- Evidence packs for procurement by regulated and institutional clients.
- Grounded knowledge assistants
- Internal AI search over policies and research, with access controls and citations.
- Regulatory reporting pipelines
- Data engineering with audit trails for supervisory and investor reporting.
What we are most often asked for here
Website Design & Development
Sites built to convert and to survive — fast, accessible, integrated with your CRM, and maintainable by someone other than us.
Read more →Custom Software & Platforms
Building the system when nothing off the shelf fits — and telling you honestly when something off the shelf does.
Read more →Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure
The layer everything else runs on — deployed reproducibly, monitored properly, backed up in a way that has actually been tested.
Read more →Data Engineering & BI
Getting numbers out of the systems that hold them, into one place, in a state somebody can actually make a decision from.
Read more →AI Knowledge Bases & RAG
Making the documents a business already owns answerable — with citations, access controls, and an honest "I do not know".
Read more →CRM & Sales Systems
The system of record for revenue: where leads land, how they are routed, what happens next, and whether anyone can see the truth of the pipeline.
Read more →Entering the ADGM market
ADGM rewards suppliers who understand the difference between its regime, Dubai’s financial centre and onshore Abu Dhabi. Establishing which rules apply is the first credible step in any conversation.
Institutional clients buy with rigour. Security evidence, data processing terms and a clear account of any AI processing are expected early, and preparation is what gets a supplier through procurement.
Start-ups in Hub71 buy differently: quickly, in phases and against funding milestones. Suppliers who can offer lean, staged work tend to grow with those companies as they scale.
Every service, delivered in ADGM
- Brand Strategy & Development
- Brand Management
- Social Media Strategy
- Social Media Management
- Content Creation & Creative Production
- Digital Marketing
- Paid Advertising
- Website Design & Development
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Email, SMS & WhatsApp Marketing
- CRM & Sales Systems
- Business Process Automation
- AI Automation Systems
- AI Knowledge Bases & RAG
- AI Voice & Customer Communication
- Lead Generation & Prospecting
- Custom Software & Platforms
- Data Engineering & BI
- Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure
- Systems Integration
- Digital Transformation Consulting
- Maintenance & Ongoing Support
What outside suppliers get wrong here
The first mistake is confusing ADGM with DIFC or onshore Abu Dhabi. Each has a different legal and regulatory position, and systems designed for the wrong one create gaps.
The second is treating financial promotion as a formality. FSRA rules shape what firms may say and to whom, and marketing built first and reviewed later tends to be rebuilt.
The third is under-preparing for institutional procurement. Clients serving sovereign and institutional capital require evidence before they engage, and missing documentation ends the conversation.
A fourth is building virtual asset products without regulatory design. Onboarding, disclosures and security expectations are specific, and retrofitting them is expensive.
A fifth is pricing start-up work like enterprise work. Hub71 companies need staged delivery tied to funding milestones.
Finally, contracts. English common law applies directly in ADGM, and suppliers should be ready for legal teams who expect that framework.
How we work with clients in ADGM
We work remotely two to three hours behind ADGM on the Monday-to-Friday week, with visits where workshops or stakeholder sessions benefit from being in person.
Contracting is in dirhams, dollars or euros, fixed-price per phase against a written scope, with data processing terms and security documentation provided for regulated clients.
We build to ADGM data protection and FSRA requirements as specified and recommend ADGM-qualified counsel wherever interpretation is needed.
The national picture — regulation, language and payment conventions — is covered on the United Arab Emirates page.
Questions
Can AI tools be used with client data in ADGM?
They can, provided processing meets the ADGM Data Protection Regulations and the firm’s own regulatory obligations. That usually means a clear lawful basis, access controls, records of processing and an understanding of where data is sent, all established before an assistant goes live.
Does the Al Reem Island expansion change anything for firms?
It widens where ADGM-registered businesses can be located, bringing more office space under the same legal and regulatory framework. The rules that apply follow a firm’s registration rather than the building it happens to occupy.
Which data protection rules apply in ADGM?
The ADGM Data Protection Regulations, overseen by the Office of Data Protection. Firms registered in ADGM generally follow these rather than federal law. Confirm specifics with ADGM counsel.
How is ADGM different from DIFC?
Both are financial centres with their own laws and regulators. ADGM is in Abu Dhabi, applies English common law directly and is regulated by the FSRA; DIFC is in Dubai, has its own common-law framework and is regulated by the DFSA.
Does ADGM regulate virtual assets?
Yes. The FSRA has an established framework for virtual asset activities, which affects onboarding, disclosures and security for digital asset firms.
What is Hub71?
Abu Dhabi’s technology start-up community, based in ADGM, connecting start-ups with investors, institutions and support programmes.
What do institutional clients expect from suppliers?
Security documentation, data processing terms, continuity plans and clarity on any AI processing, usually before a proposal is considered.
Are financial promotions restricted?
Yes. FSRA rules govern how financial products and services are promoted, affecting websites, campaigns and investor communications.
Can start-ups afford specialist digital work?
With phased delivery tied to funding milestones, yes. A lean first phase can be expanded as the company raises and grows.
Do you have an office in ADGM?
No. We work remotely and visit where a project warrants it, and we say so plainly.
What does it cost?
Fixed-price phases in dirhams, dollars or euros against a defined scope, quoted after a discovery call.
Other cities we work in
Working in ADGM?
Tell us what you are building or growing. We will tell you what the local picture means for scope, and whether we are the right people for it.
Get in touch